The "Polish Operation" of the NKVD

A wave of arrests of the “Moscow headquarters of the Polish Military Organisation” starts. A special note sent by the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs of the USSR Nikolai Yezhov to Stalin on the discovery of “an espionage network of the Polish Military Organisation” accompanied by the record of interrogation of Tomasz Dąbal, a known Communist Workers Party of Poland activist, regarded as the leader of the Polish Military Organisation.

The Plenary Assembly of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks), Yezhov delivers i.e.. the paper on the betrayal within the USSR security authorities. 73 speakers took the floor, 56 were executed by shooting in 1937–1940, and two committed suicide.

Meeting of the active members of the Main Directorate of State Security of the NKVD, Yezhov announces that Polish spies have been discovered within the NKVD.

At the Plenary Assembly of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks), Yezhov announces that a “plot by the Polish Military Organisation” has been found.

Felix Dzerzhinsky Polish Autonomous District in Belarus disbanded.

At a conference involving heads of regional NKVD organs, Yezhov presents plans and preliminary rules for carrying out “mass operations”.

Operational order of the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs of the USSR Nikolai Yezhov No. 00447 on repression of former kulaks, criminalists, and other anti-Soviet elements.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) takes the decision to approve Order of the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs of the USSR Yezhov on the “elimination of Polish espionage and subversion groups and Polish Military Organisation”.

Operational order of the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs of the USSR Yezhov No. 00485 accompanied by exhaustive reasons initiating the "Polish Operation”.

Operational order of the People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 00486 on repression of family members of traitors to the motherland.

The Komintern disbands the Communist Party of Poland as an organisation infiltrated by “agents of Pilsudskiists and the Polish Military Organisation”.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) grant the Special Council of the NKVD the authority to issue sentences up to 10 years’ imprisonment for refugees from Poland, members of the Polish Socialist Party and other persons suspected of anti-Soviet activities.

Yezhov’s directive concerning i.a. the extension of the “Polish Operation” until 10th December 1937.

Yezhov’s directive concerning inter alia the extension of the “Polish Operation” until 1st January 1938.

Decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) on extension of mass operations against “espionage and subversion contingents”, including Poles.

Order No. 0051 of the NKVD prohibiting the release of persons who have been tried and have served their sentence for spying for Poland and refugees from Poland.

Decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) on purging the defence industry of “national contingents” which have been repressed.

Decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) on extension of the “Polish Operation” and other operations with regard to nations until 1st August 1938.

Directive of People’s Commissar for Defence of the USSR on the release of Poles, Germans, Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Finns, Romanians, Koreans and members of other nationalities not assigned to the territory of the USSR serving in the Red Army. The first group to be released are all those born and living abroad in the past and those whose relatives live abroad. The released persons are repressed.

Order No.00606 of the NKVD to appoint Special Troikas to examine cases of persons arrested before 1st August 1938 under the “Polish Operation” and other operations with regard to nations.

Establishment of the commission supervising the end of the mass operations involving N. Yezhov, A. Vyshinsky, L. Beria, N. Richkov and G. Malenkov.

Adoption of Directive of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) and the Council of People’s Commissars on suspension of the activities of special court authorities and end of mass operations.

Order No. 00762 of the NKVD ending mass operations and announcing return to the “standards of the socialist rule of law”.